1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a feeding apparatus, and more particularly, to a feeding apparatus of the type which is coupled to an aquarium for periodically feeding a predetermined amount of food to the fish therein.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Many people find substantial rewards in raising and caring for various types of small animals. While the present invention relates primarily to a fish feeding device, the apparatus will be adaptable for feeding various other types of animals.
An aquarium may be viewed as a predominantly self-contained eco-system in that the waste and by-products of one population of the aquarium are utilized by another population of the aquarium as life sustaining elements. However, the recent popularity of exotic fresh and salt water aquariums having unusual and rare fish populations requires careful eco-system balancing. It is highly desirable to periodically provide a healthy and nutritious food for the fish, and it is also highly desirable to meter the distribution of the food so that the ecological balance of the aquarium will not be disturbed. That is, too much food added to the aquarium will accumulate and cause an unhealthy environment for the fish. On the other hand, too little food will have a detrimental effect on the health and growth of the fish.
It is also helpful to feed the fish on a routine that does not vary from day to day. Experience indicates that the fish are more docile in their behavior if adequate amounts of food are periodically disbursed. Typically the fish in an aquarium are fed once each 12-hour period. Some owners prefer to feed their fish only once every 24 hours, but this tends to cause overfeeding and a partial accumulation of food about the aquarium until the fish have fully consumed the deposited food. Manual feeding of the fish food is preferred by some owners, but consistent manual feeding is not always possible in view of work routines and schedule requirements which force aquarium owners to leave town for several days or even weeks at a time.
The careful balance maintained in the eco-system of the aquarium will allow the fish and other populations of the aquarium to exist for extended periods of time if the fish are fed predetermined amounts of food at regular intervals. The present invention is related directly toward the dispensing of a predetermined amount of food on a periodic basis over a long term so that the owner of the aquarium will be free from these daily responsibilities. Various other inventors have sought to design similar automatic feeding devices for other animals or aquariums, but each of these inventions falls short of the economy, flexibility and accuracy of the automatic feeding device described herein.
One complex automatic fish feeder is disclosed by Suchowski in U.S. Pat. No. 4,089,299, which has been assigned to the Hartz Mountain Corporation of Harrison, N.J. This automatic fish feeder is air-operated. A cup travels through a hopper containing the fish food in order to scoop a predetermined amount of the food and to deposit it into the aquarium via a suitable chute. The high cost of manufacturing the Suchowski device and its inherent complexity substantially detract from its desirability as an inexpensive and reliable automatic feeding device.
Marx, in U.S. Pat. No. 3,091,371, discloses an automatic fish feeding device which utilizes a synchronous electric motor to rotate a drum which dispenses a predetermined quantity of fish food over a given period of time. The drum disclosed by Marx must be filled by opening a small door in the container and filling the container with a funnel from a larger quantity of food. Marx also uses a scoop having a variable size inlet which is moved through the loosely stored food. This type of loading action for the food depositing subsystem is likely to foul when moisture causes the stored fish food to clump. Large clumps of the food may then harden and will not allow sufficient smaller quantities of food to pass through the open mouth. The existence of these problems are characterized by the existence of a movable hammer which is required to strike the dispensing vessel to dislodge the food stored therein. In contrast to the form of the invention disclosed by Marx, it is more desirable to vary the size of the dispensing container in order to control the amount of the food deposited in the aquarium rather than varying the size of the mouth of the container.
Malek, in U.S. Pat. No. 3,022,767, discloses a fish feeder which utilizes a synchronous motor and a cam in order to rotate typical fish food containers. The adjustable aperature in the mouth of the container is utilized to control the amount of the fish food which is dispensed. The synchronous motor and cam merely shake the container in a manner similar to the motion of the hand. Experience indicates that the aperatures in the fish food container will easily clog because of the moisture which is continuously present immediately above the surface of the aquarium. Thus, the Malek device does not provide for an accurate and reliable means for regulating the quantity of fish food actually dispensed.
Hoday, in U.S. Pat. No. 3,738,328, discloses an automatic fish feeding device which utilizes a synchronous motor to move several hoppers having food therein. Various aperatures are provided in the moving elements such that the food is dispensed when the aperatures are in the proper alignment. Various other fish feeders having similarly designed linearly actuated fish food dispensers are disclosed by Appleton in U.S. Pat. No. 3,050,029, Krag in U.S. Pat. No. 3,031,109, Klein in U.S. Pat. No. 3,177,850 and Loudon in U.S. Pat. No. 3,029,790.
Kaunzner, in U.S. Pat. No. 3,140,693 discloses an automatic fish feeding device which employs a synchronous motor for rotating a container having a plurality of compartments therein. As the container is rotated the food moves from a main storage compartment, through a connecting tunnel, and into a dispensing compartment which is adjustable in size. The compartments are arranged so that the dispensing compartment is loaded on one portion of the movement cycle of the container and is unloaded on the opposite motion of the container. While this design provides for a periodic dispensing of a predetermined amount of food, the device is complex to produce, difficult to load and is subject to fouling with clumps of fish food as previously discussed with regard to other similar inventions. Also, it is difficult for the operator to accurately control the time at which the food is dispensed if it becomes necessary to adjust the feeding schedule.
Smrt, in U.S. Pat. No. 4,055,146, discloses an automatic feeding apparatus which stores the fish food in a hopper. A rotary valve is used as a gate for dispensing food from the hopper. The rotary valve is controlled by a ratchet wheel which is intermittently driven by a reciprocable actuator which is alternately engaged and then disengaged by a thermostatic metallic strip. During each heating and cooling cycle of the strip, the ratchet wheel advances allowing the dispensing container to also advance. FIGS. 4, 5, 6 and 7 of this disclosure illustrate a generally disc-shaped dispenser which employs a container which is intermittently, but not continuously rotated to various positions in communication with the food storage hopper (two neutral positions, and one food dispensing position). While this disc-shaped dispenser reduces the possibility of the device jamming or dispensing the food unevenly, the size of the dispenser is not adjustable and it is difficult to adjust the time at which the food is dispensed. The use of a heated metallic strip also raises questions as to the safety of the device under certain failure modes. The construction of the device is not well-suited to economical production and reliable operating over long-term usage.